AUDIO: CALM – THE APP THAT SENDS YOU TO SLEEP
Having trouble sleeping? Have you ever heard of Calm? It’s a free meditation and relaxation app where you can listen to a short story read by a person in a slow, soothing voice. Each story runs about 25 minutes, although chances are you’re going to doze off well before it’s over. For example, “Blue Gold” is read by the soft-spoken English comedian and actor Stephen Fry. It’s written in the second person so that listeners can picture themselves meandering lazily through the lavender fields of the sleepy villages of Provence in France. This story has been listened to 15 million times. The Calm app has garnered almost 40 million downloads since it launched earlier this year, and while you can get it for free, you can also pay $69.99 a year to unlock additional stories on the app.
* So it sends you to sleep, until your phone rings in the middle of the night because you had to leave it on to listen to the story.
* How can you sleep knowing you’re paying 70 bucks for something that’s on YouTube for free?
* “Hello, Stephen Fry? This is your agent. I lined you up for a great audition. They need someone really boring, so I thought of you right away!”
* Careful. There’s a 15% chance you’ll drift off and dream you’re having sex with Stephen Fry in a field in France.
* If you’re driving, cover your ears. Right now! Stay alert!
* If I want to fall asleep, I usually listen to airchecks of this show.
CLIP: A minute of “Blue Gold”. Yes, we pulled this one from YouTube, free.
